Whatcha Got Cooking?

We are finally in a less-busy season and I'm enjoying the opportunity and time to try new dishes. Here are a few I've made lately and a few of my personal notes.

I try my best to remember to add things I've tried to my "Things I've Tried" Pinterest board. This is such a great way to remember what changes I made to a recipe, whether I liked it or not, ideas for what to serve with it, and what (if any) changes I might make next time.

(Sorry no photos. I don't agree with using other people's photos on my blog and this was not exactly a planned post.)

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole from Half Baked Harvest

I think maybe I heard of this from In Honor of Design (I enjoy getting her email with the weekly menu). We are in a season where weekends are very busy, so I've decided that Fridays are Casserole Fridays. I can prep during the day and we can eat on it Friday night and throughout the weekend. 

My notes: Used a 12 oz bag of broccoli florets and had a little left over that will go to the guinea pigs at the rescue I volunteer for. Chopped about 24ish baby carrots instead of buying whole. Couldn't find orzo at my grocery store so I omitted it and used a total of 1 3/4 cups basmati rice. I use Better Than Bullion for all my chicken broth needs because I can make exactly how much I need of it and none goes to waste. Couldn't find fresh thyme so I used 2 tsp dried. Added a little mushroom umami seasoning for... umami. Used half milk, half cream. (Not sure this made a difference.) This was my first time cooking with lemon zest and ohmygoodness. A game changer. I prepped this casserole during the day and popped it into the oven for dinner.

Creamy Ranch Chicken from The Cooking Jar

We were supposed to have pizza quesadillas* for dinner the other night but I didn't feel like it, so I turned to the internet for a quick recipe. This was fast and tasty. 

My notes: I only used about half the chicken and cut it into strips to cook faster. Even though I used half the chicken, I made the same amount of sauce. I like a thick sauce, so I made a "cornstarch slurry" to add to it to thicken. I make my own Ranch seasoning mix and keep it on hand in a jar, and when I measured out an ounce it seemed like way too much, so I just eyeballed the amount I used. Next time I'll serve with rice.

Crispy Cheddar Chicken from Hello Fresh

A few years ago Casey and I got Hello Fresh for a while and really enjoyed the recipes. Did you know you can access the recipes without purchasing anything? All of the recipes are on the website. I only made the cheddar chicken and we enjoyed it. I liked that it was quick to make and uses ingredients I usually have on hand.

My notes: The only change I made was to add a little dijon with the mayo.

*Pizza quesadilla: A quesadilla made with Italian or mozzarella cheese, pepperoni (we use turkey pepperoni), and a little bit of spaghetti sauce (or you can omit the sauce and dip the quesadilla into sauce instead). This is a fast dinner and a great way to finish up the ingredients I bought to make homemade pizza.